Haruki Murakami is one of the most cultishly beloved authors in the States— despite the fact that all of his work is translated from Japanese. His "latest," Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, is about an engineer cut off from a group of beloved friends. It's been out in Japan for over a year, and now makes its debut Stateside. To celebrate, Green Apple is throwing a midnight release party (think Harry Potter for grown-ups) at their new Sunset store, featuring food, beer, trivia, a costume contest, and of course, books.

Midnight release party: Green Apple, 8/11

Part of the zip of megahit Gone Girl was its unreliable female narrator, a trope that's so unusual that it remains fresh in Dear Daughter, the first novel from acclaimed nonfiction author Elizabeth Little (Biting the Wax Tadpole). It's about Jane Jenkins, an acerbic Kim Kardashian-like former "It girl" who may or may not have murdered her mother. After a decade in prison, she's released on a technicality, and heads to a small South Dakota town in the hopes of sussing out her mom's secrets and finding the killer. That is, if it wasn't her own booze- and dope-addled self...because she's not entirely sure. This is a great beach read that will keep you turning pages. 

Appearances: Book Passage Corte Madera, 8/12

In the hype and bustle of our current tech boom, it can be hard for exuberant youngsters to remember the heady days of the '90s, when things were just as promising—and then all came crashing down. Andrew Dugas survived that boom, and is here to write about it in Sleepwalking in Paradise, the story of a journalist-turned-copywriter whose high-rolling life is turned upside down by a former boho pal who's convinced that there's a messiah healing people in Golden Gate Park, and has compelling evidence to prove it. Fun bonus: Dugas was fired from Green Apple 14 years ago, and is now coming back to read. 

Appearances: Green Apple Books, 8/20